California

[Liz ODell]

(Crossposted from CAPLA)

California's terrible SB 250,
the bill that would mandate spaying and castrating ALL of one's dogs and
cats for any violation committed with just one of those pets and would
prohibit the owner from ever again owning intact animals did not receive
the necessary votes in the state Assembly and thus has been HELD OVER
by its sponsor, Sen. Dean Florez, TO THE SECOND HALF OF THE CURRENT LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WHICH BEGINS IN JANUARY 2010.

However, there are two more awful bills that received enough votes in both
houses to get to the Governor's desk for his signature....OR his veto.
We will
have to appeal to legislators during the recess to kill SB 250 for once and
all, but
what is needed now is your appeal to Governor Schwarzenegger to veto
AB 241 and AB 1122.

AB 241--

_http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0201-0250/ab_241_bill_20090
910_enrolled.pdf_
(http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bil ... rolled.pdf)

[Excerpt from bill text]:

<<< This bill would make it a misdemeanor for any person to have
more than a combined total of 50 adult unsterilized dogs and cats,
in the state, for breeding or raising them for sale as pets, as
specified. The bill would also prohibit a business entity, as defined,
from having more than a combined total of 50 adult unsterilized
dogs and cats, in the state, for breeding or raising them for sale as
pets, as specified. The bill would make it a misdemeanor to act in
concert with another person or to voluntarily assist a business
entity in violating these provisions. The bill would authorize certain
officers to lawfully take possession of an animal kept in violation
of those provisions, as specified. >>>


Comment::

Briefly, AB 241 is this year's, this state's version of PAWS. By
establishing a numerical limit on the numbers of intact dogs or cats
either private individuals or businesses can own, the state in effect
blurs the traditional and workable distinction between retail and
wholesale sellers of pets and subjects both groups to eventual
total regulation of any number of breedable animals, whether or
not any of those animals were actually bred. If this bill passes, it
will be simple to reduce that limit to any figure all the way to
zero in a near-future legislative session just by tacking onto a
popular bill a rider specifying a lower figure for intact dogs or cats.

----------------------------------------------------------
AB 1122--

_http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_1101-1150/ab_1122_bill_2009
0910_enrolled.pdf_
(http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bil ... rolled.pdf)

Excerpt from bill text:

<<< This bill would provide, in addition and with specified
exceptions, that it shall be a crime, punishable as specified, for
any person to willfully sell, display or offer for sale or give away
as part of a commercial transaction, a live animal on any street,
highway, public right-of-way, parking lot, carnival, or boardwalk.
The bill would provide that a notice describing the charge and the
penalty for a violation of this bill may be issued by a peace officer,
animal control officer, or humane officer. By creating a new crime,
this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. >>>


Comment::

This bill on the surface would seem not to be unreasonable--who
thinks selling litters of puppies in malls or parking lots is a good
idea. But in these hard times, when many pets, like their owners
are homeless, being able to rehome the family pets (whether as
adoptees or as sales) in public venues can make the difference
between outright abandonment of those pets on the street or
increased shelter turn-ins and direct rehoming. Besides that,
the owned pet is someone's property, and selling or giving him or her
to a potentially good new owner is both a property right and
a reasonable option for the pet.


What You Can Do--Ask Governor Schwarzenegger to veto these bills

[adapted and cross-posted with permission from various California lists]

Help us defeat the AR bills by calling, faxing and mailing the Governor!

PUT A STAMP ON A POSTCARD OR AN ENVELOPE AND MAIL THE GOVERNOR YOUR
OPPOSITION

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: 916-445-2841
Keep calling if busy, you CAN get in, usually takes 5 attempts.

Fax: 916-558-3160 [Note: New fax number as given on the governor's
website]

To place a call--

You can choose : Voice opinion on Legislation, then it
will let you select AB 1122 (option 4 ) or AB 241 (option 6) or for any
other bill select speak with a Representative, then you can speak to his
staff! They are very cordial and WILL LISTEN!

Also you can choose the anti-gun bills (options # 2, #3)

For e-mail and other information:

_http://www.gov.ca.gov/site/contact-governor_
(http://www.gov.ca.gov/site/contact-governor)

No one asks for your address or name, it is simple and everyone can do it!

POINTS TO MAKE IF YOU EMAIL, FAX or SPEAK with a Representative:

These bills represent:

1. SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS that are not even true California organizations;
they operate under a shell for HSUS

and

2. MIDDLE CLASS CALIFORNIANS who will MOVE out of CALIF. with their pets,
their
tax dollars and their businesses (NEVADA is courting us via TV where there
are no state taxes and little biz regulation)

Furthermore--

3. THESE BILLS HARM ANIMALS, the intent is not to protect animals but to
make a monopoly for non-profits, while subjecting dogs and cats to forced
castration mostly at much too young ages for their long-term health.

4. The Governor has purebred dogs. These bills will cause the demise of our
breeds, our gene pool, and the availability of some of the best bred dogs
in
the nation!

5. The pet industry which represents billions in sales (food, toys,
veterinary, grooming training services etc) will be heavily impacted by
reduction of pets in California, where, at present, pet owners and breeders
contribute $14 billion to the state's economy. That's FOURTEEN BILLION.

6. The shelters are IMPORTING dogs from even out of country! The cry of
over-population should be a cry of shelter mismanagement! In short,
what California animal management interests need to do is examine
shelter policies and practices, importation (legal and otherwise) of
many thousands of animals into the state (especially smuggled in
from Mexico), and the known correlation of forced castration laws on
local and county shelter intake.

7. These bills, AB 241 and 1122, do nothing to address any real problem
of animal management in California, but instead create new crimes that
can
only be enforced, if at all, at great expense to municipalities or the
state.

[liontracker]

Liz, you seem up to your a** in alligators out there.

I was wondering if it would eventually be possible to shed some light on all the "rescued" animals the "shelters" kill and make their life real tough. Seems like if they had to feed them until a home was found it would take a tremendous amount of their money and they would not be able to fund all these bills and law suits. I think it could be the chink in their armour...so to speak.

Maybe?